Don’t Miss These 7 Creators at VidCon 2017

June 19, 2017Ellie MacBride

Each year in June, thousands of video creators, industries, and passionate fans gather in sunny Anaheim, California for the world’s largest conference celebrating online video content of all kinds. Over the years, VidCon has become the place for creators to learn from the experts, brush shoulders with others in the industry, and connect with heaps of adoring fans.

As a membership platform that helps many of these content creators power their businesses, Patreon has also been a regular fixture at VidCon. In fact, out of the 300+ professional creators being featured at VidCon this year, over 20% of them are using Patreon as a way to foster a community of their biggest fans and earn a sustainable income from the content they create.

A team of us at Patreon will be making our way down to VidCon to lead talks and panels, gather insights on the changing landscape of video, demo some of our new products, and get to know awesome creators (you, maybe?) making a splash in the world of video content.

With mere days until the Patreon team sets out for VidCon, we wanted to highlight a few Patreon creators we can’t wait to see while we’re there.

7 Creators You Won’t Want to Miss

Ana Kasparian / The Young Turks

Why we love her:If being named as one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 isn’t enough, Ana is also the host and producer of one of the largest online news show around. When she’s not putting out up to five videos a day on The Young Turks’ Youtube channel, you can find Ana sharing out exclusive content for her patrons on The Young Turks’ Patreon page and teaching journalism to students at her alma mater.

Where to find her:

We’re most excited to check out an all-women panel discussion Ana’s moderating called The Future is Female. No need for a creator or industry pass for this one; a community badge will get you access to the panel.

Andrew Huang

Why we love him

Andrew Huang doesn’t just create music; he completely challenges how music is created. Take this Bruno Mars cover video, for example, in which Andrew uses twenty-four carrots (yes, the orange vegetables), as every single instrument used. Or this one, which appropriately features ninety-nine red balloons.

Where to find him

Andrew knows a thing or two about creating video content destined for virality, and we’re excited to catch him at the Fresh Faces Stage for a panel discussion centered around the topic. Hope to see you there!

Philip DeFranco

Why we love him

Popular news and entertainment show host Philip DeFranco made headlines recently when he decided to move his online news show over to Patreon and grow it into an entire network. Having welcomed over 10,000 adoring fans into The DeFranco Elite (the name of Philip’s community on Patreon) in less than twenty-four hours after launching, DeFranco is already incredibly close to his vision of building a news empire around his work. Way to go, Philly D!

Where to find him

Catch Philip in conversation with VidCon’s fearless leader, Hank Green, about the past, present and future of online video. This fireside chat is sure to be packed with valuable insights and inspiring stories from two of the most successful online video content creators around.

Dr. Lindsey Doe / Sexplanations

Why we love her

Talking about sex can often seem taboo, but clinical sexoligist and online sex educator Lindsey Doe has managed to take even the most touchy subjects and create a community of informed and curious viewers around them. She even allows her patrons on Patreon to choose which topics she covers in her videos.

Where to find her

We’re excited to catch Lindsey in conversation with a panel of other sex educators who create content about human sexuality (including a producer from the team who brings us SciShow and CrashCourse) as part of the Creator track.

Wheezy Waiter

Why we love him

No, Craig Benzine of Wheezy Waiter is not a restaurant worker with a cough, but if he were, we’re sure he would be the funniest one around. Craig has been creating hilarious videos covering a wide range of topics for over ten years and publishes content on his Youtube channel at least once a week. When the world can seem like such a serious place sometimes, Wheezy Waiter helps us remember to laugh.

Where to find himSure to be the panel discussion boasting the most laughs at VidCon this year, That’s Hilarious will bring to stage some of the funniest comedians making online video content (including fellow Patreon creator/podcaster Mike Falzone).

Jessica McCabe / How to ADHD

Why we love her

ADHD affects over 10% of children ages 4-17, so why is it that we rarely talk about it? Jessica McCabe of How to ADHD decided to take her ADHD diagnosis and use it for good when she began creating ADHD awareness videos on Youtube to help others who might also have it. With the tools and resources Jessica has shared around the topic, she has been able to remove a lot of the stigma surrounding ADHD and has instead built a supportive and thriving community around it.

Where to find herJessica joins a handful of other amazing creators producing video content covering mental health subjects for a heartfelt panel discussion on how they were able to find the courage to overcome the stigmas we often put on mental health. We’re excited to catch Patreon creator Kati Morton at the panel as well.

Brady Haran / Numberphile

Why we love him

While most creators are focused on building an audience around one topic, Brady Haran is a huge exception. Not only has he managed to grow FIVE separate educational Youtube channels, he is currently earning an income from all of them on Patreon. Brady is a shining example of a multi-passionate creator who refuses to put himself in a box.

Where to find himBrady joins the stage with another Patreon fave, Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day, for a Q&A around scientific videos as part of the Community track.

Where to catch us

As if all these incredible talks weren’t enough, we’re extremely excited to have the opportunity to share the stage with some of these amazing creators for a few talks and panels of our own.

Are Creators Really Making Money on New Platforms? (Creator Track)This panel sheds the light on a topic we’re all familiar with but don’t always talk about: monetizing your work as an online video creator. Heather Wilder of our Creator Care team joins a handful other industry experts in a discussion on how to take your growing Youtube audience and begin to make some cold hard cash from it.

Building an audience so large that you can barely manage it yourself is a good problem to have, but can be a little scary when you aren’t sure where to start. Don’t miss Jack Conte, Patreon’s CEO (and half of the band Pomplamoose), for an incredibly insightful talk on how to hire a team to help you manage your community.

As your community grows, it can become more and more difficult to respond to every single fan who interacts with your work. Luckily, there are tools and strategies you can use to ensure that you are spending your time on the most valuable ways to engage with your community. Heather from Patreon is joined by top creators for a panel on how to do just that.

Patreon’s CEO, Jack Conte, is no stranger to online video content. In fact, Patreon was started after Jack was fed up with not being able to monetize the viral videos he had been making on Youtube. We cannot wait to catch Jack in conversation with Hank Green at this keynote, where the conversation is sure to inspire creators, fans and industries alike.